The Tssue Culture Core facilities are of central importance for this Program Project, as they will continue to provide cultured cells from individuals affected with EB, from their unaffected family members, and from unrelated healthy controls for study in all Projects. During the previous years of support, the tissue culture facility has handled a large number of human cells from EB and control subjects. It has also maintained a large number of either spontaneously or virally transormed human cell lines that have been extremely helpful in elucidating gene expression of BMZ macromolecules, including type VII collagen. These established cell lines include a human amniotic endothelial cell line (WISH), a human epidermoid oral carcinoma cell line (KB), and a human fibrosarcoma cell line (HT-1080), which are commercially available (ATCC).